NaBloPoMo...FAIL!

Yah, so obviously NaBloPoMo isn't going so hot since I've been back to work!  In theory, I have more time to blog since I've been back, believe it or not, but I think I just haven't got back in the groove yet.  I've had a post in my drafts for a week now, but it's not quite ready for air yet. 

Meanwhile, so far I'm doing ok with work life balance....as long as everything goes according to schedule, that is.  This week, we had some extra drama thrown in when Gracie started having a severe allergy attack.  Within just a few hours on Sunday, she had scratched a giant sore on her neck and chin.  And, by Monday night, when I went to pick her up, it was almost like she was having a seizure.  She was all contorted and still frantically trying to scratch.  I was literally in tears, it was so hard to watch.  So, with that, she was off to the emergency vet. 

The Hubby took her so that I could stay home with LMH, but things were just a little "off."  I was worried and Audrey was whining constantly because she missed her big sister.  Gracie knows how to be alone since she was a only-puppy for a year before we brought Audrey home.  But, Audrey has always had Gracie, so she's pretty dependent on her big sister.  Audrey's reaction just made it tougher on me, because I felt bad for her...but it also reminded me of how much I love my sweet Gracie!  Long before LMH was here, back when we were still naive semi-newlyweds, Gracie taught us how to take care of someone other than ourselves.  She showed us that we could handle more. She was truly our first baby.  And, I dread the day...no, dread is stronger enough...I am terrified of the day when we have to let her go.  Thankfully, that decision will be saved for a much later date.  A few hours later, my Gracie was home.

She seems so much better already this morning.  Those steroid shots take action pretty quick.  Unfortnately, they also make her super dehydrated and upset her tummy!  We'll probably be dealing with an upset tummy in a few days.  But, at least for today she's feeling better!

Show and Tell: Meet Gracie & Audrey

I'm raising my hand for Mel's Show & Tell for the first time! Please join us around the circle to share your own item in our weekly ode to elementary school!

Since we're still getting to know each other here at Our Someday Family, it's about time I introduce you to the rest of my family-- my two adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Please meet Gracie. She's our first Cavalier and our first dog together. She's our head-strong diva dog with an uncanny ability to "sense" someone's feelings and change her attitude to fit. That's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to get started with our local therapy dog program. As soon as she passes her test, we'll volunteer at schools, nursing homes, the Ronald McDonald house, or pretty much anywhere that will have us, to bring some smiles and puppy kisses to people in tough situations.

Gracie was actually an amazing Christmas gift from my equally amazing hubby. And, while I'd usually discourage puppies as Christmas gifts, hubby new exactly what he was doing. We first started talking about getting a dog early in 2006. We had narrowed down the breeds to a few, including Cavaliers. Then, sometime around August, he decided that he wasn't ready to get a puppy and that we should wait a bit long for x, y, and z to sort itself out. I was so upset! Little did I know that right abou then was when his evil, yet wonderful scheme was born. And, on Christmas Eve 2006, I came home to find Gracie with a bow on her head! She is the puppy version of me...a perfect canine companion. But, before long we realized that Gracie needed a canine companion of her own. And, hubby secretely hoped that we could find the puppy version of him!

Please meet Audrey (who loves to bask in the sun while she nibbles)! She is the perfect addition to our family. Completely like Andy and opposite of me and Gracie in most every way possible. Where Gracie is a head-strong, stubborn pup, Audrey is laid back and just loves to lay around. She is also incredibly vocal, but not in the typical dog ways like barking (though she does that, too). Audrey grunts and makes other odd grumblings to let you know whe she's happy or sad. Almost like the dog version of a purrr...it's so funny and cute. It's almost like she's trying to talk to us. Too bad we don't speak "doggie grunts," but she still manages to convey her emotions just fine.

Audrey is a puppy mill rescue. The puppy mill surrendered her to a local vet to have her put down claiming a "knee deformity." There was no knee problem. In reality, they reached their quota on how many ruby Cavaliers they could sell that week and needed to make room for new puppies. It's an indefensible and inexcusable practice that is all too common in this country. On behalf of Audrey, I implore you to buy puppies only from reputable breeders. Or, better yet, adopt a rescue. You will never regret it! Part of Audrey's wonderful, laid back personality is a sense that she's grateful and content to be in a better place. I can't imagine our family without her, so I'm forever grateful to the vet that refused to put her to sleep and to the rescue organization that brought her home to us. Thank you Paws & Claws!

Gracie and Audrey may not be sisters by blood, but you'd never know. They are the perfect compliment to each other's personality and our family. We love them...and they love each other!

So much emotion in three simple words

The title of this blog has been through at least three iterations in the four months. I don't even remember the first few titles...they were cute, but held no actual personal value. More recently, I had settled on "TTC=Trying not To go Crazy." That really seemed very fitting given the pre-O crazies I've been experience, not to mention the general craziness that the entire TTC process can bring on. I liked it...it was unique and did have a personal connection. But, it had one problem. I want to be able to continue to use this blog post TTC when our "someday family" is a "now family", so to speak. And, though we hope to have more than one, "TTC=Trying not To go Crazy" doesn't seem to fit the in between times that I hope we one day get to experience.

So, I finally settled on "Our Someday Family." It just feels right to me, but it does come with its own set of issues. One of them, the biggest actually, is the fact that it implies that we don't have a family now. I would vehemently argue that Andy, Gracie, Audrey and I are, in fact, a very loving family, with or without kids. Sometimes I look into their big puppy eyes and ask, "Why can't this be enough?" Or, at least, why can't it be enough for now like it was in the beginning.

It's no secret that one of the original reasons we got a puppy (Gracie, in the beginning) was to prep ourselves for a baby. It helped for a bit. And, then that longing started to get louder and louder until I couldn't take it anymore, but we still weren't both ready. So, we got Audrey (a puppy mill rescue) and our family felt complete...for a time. Now I'm at the point that the longing screams at me constantly and we ARE ready, both of us. But, it doesn't matter, because now apparently life isn't ready for us. I long for the day when our loving dogs can play with our adorable, longed for baby, toddler, child...

"Our Someday Family" represents that struggle of mine to find peace and then, hopefully, one day to enjoy the family we so lovingly continued. I chose the word continued carefully so as not to discount the one we've already started. It's a very, very fine line between light and dark, crazy and sane, peace and war, all happening in my mind at any given time. "Our Someday Family" encapsulates all of that for me.